Alot of fellow hunters pissin me off AGAIN!

[sits in trees]

Here it is less than 2 weeks from the beginning of bow season and i personally know of several bowhunters who blew shots and also wounded deer last season claiming they are fully ready to hunt opening morning and they havent even SHOT YET?????? i have been fidgeting with my bows for weeks now and shooting for the last 2 months every chance i get and i feel like the oddball here?

And can someone explain to me how a so called bowhunter can grab a bow without even checking for string stretch after a year and just shoot it without checking for square or to even see if all those little screws are tight?

[fasteddie]

Yeah , and what about the accessories on the bow .............

Is the sight tight ? Has it slipped . Are the pins all there ?

Has the string stretched ? Is the peep rotation okay ? Is the string frayed ?

Are the broadheads sharp ? Are they tight on the shaft ?

Are the arrows going to hit the same as the previous year ?

There are many many more items to think about !

Personally , I shoot my bow in the basement in the winter to make sure the muscles I use drawing the bow are in reasonable shape . It would be difficult to not shoot for a year and then have to draw on a deer .

[Suilleabhain]

A lot of that and a lot worse going on. I know of a guy that went to buy a new bow and he held it right handed, then left handed, salesman said what are you doing, guy responds I shoot both ways. Salesman put the bow back in the rack and said buh-bye. I quit bowhunting for exactly the reason you state, I didn't have enough time to practice anymore and wouldn't risk a bad shot. So I sold all my gear.

[d-bone20917]

I shoot all year also, but I'm shooting a recurve so I have too to stay consistent. I know people too who are just now getting their bows out and getting them ready. I suppose everyone has their own level of dedication.

[NYbuck50]

i missed 4 deer clean with my bow last yr... ive been shooting 5-6 arrows everyday since April.. a wounded deer is unacceptable.

[growalot]

I here ya...same thing happens with gun season.....

[oneidacountyhunter]

I have yet to harvest a deer with my bow however I know that i shoot in the backyard about 4 times a week. I know my sights are on, everything is tight, no equipment excuses for me. Now I just need a deer within my comfort zone of 30 yards!

[Deerthug]

Here it is less than 2 weeks from the beginning of bow season and i personally know of several bowhunters who blew shots and also wounded deer last season claiming they are fully ready to hunt opening morning and they havent even SHOT YET?????? i have been fidgeting with my bows for weeks now and shooting for the last 2 months every chance i get and i feel like the oddball here?

And can someone explain to me how a so called bowhunter can grab a bow without even checking for string stretch after a year and just shoot it without checking for square or to even see if all those little screws are tight?

That is nuts! I try shooting 20-30 minutes every few days during the summer and into the beginning of the season. I too have cleanly missed several deer in my 3 years since I took up the bow. I'm always tinkering with my bow every chance I can get.

[phade]

I here ya...same thing happens with gun season.....

Very true - like "weekend warriors" or just those who hunt opening day of gun only...there are a portion of bowhunters who are "casual" bowhunters.

Single out bowhunters is certainly valid, but you can do the same with the nutjobs that either don't shoot their guns, shoot it once on a bench and call it good without any freehand shots, etc. OR sight in with Federal and shoot a different style slug from Remington.

The "casual" hunters are a sizeable group and addmittedly, they are useful for their license dollars and representation. Sure, are some slobs? Yep. But, they help make the hunting world go around in one way we don't often think about.

For every 10 casual hunters, there is one dedicated hunter (bow or gun).

Edited September 19, 2012 by phade

[steve863]

I'm surely not much of a bowhunter, but I honestly don't know if one needs to panic over their bow this much? I would agree that more things can go wrong with it compared to a gun, but I know I picked my 1990 model bow again two years ago without firing a shot from it for a bunch of years. First time I shot it, it was still shooting just about dead on. I practiced maybe twenty minutes before marching out that season and proceeded to flatten a buck with it. At least for me shooting a bow up to maybe 25 yards is way EASIER than shooting a rifle at 100 yards in field positions. I still have plenty of reservations shooting at deer with a bow compared to a gun, but at least shooting at targets at a reasonable range I don't find it very difficult.

[fasteddie]

I have been shooting the bow at different distances for a few months . Last week I set up my 3D and another target and started shooting from my 10' treestand in the back yard . I can shoot 15 , 25 and 30 yards from the stand .

[Elmo]

I don't have the luxury of shooting at home so every time I go to the range, I shoot for hours on end. I've gone to the range for 4 consecutive weekends. I was okay my first time out. Better the second time. Good the third. Horrible the last time. I'm planning on hitting the range a couple of more time before the season starts.

[NFA-ADK]

I have a guy who swears he does not need to shoot free hand and a box of ammo to sight in on bench is just fine... Then he tells me it's time for him to wash his clothes from last year, LOL... (Over a 1,000 $ suit) I wonder why you would spend so much money on something and then not take care of it for what is was intended...

We all have busy lives and not everyone is interested in becoming a good ethical hunter...

[growalot]

I'll tell ya the stand practice opens your eyes...for one thing to muscles that need more stretching ...because the seated ..turn behind you shots open up a whole new group...the quietly standing..especially as one ages..is rough on the knees....and well my up close and personal shots shook the confidence...until I'd climbed that ladder way too many times...lol....but worth the effort for I'm feeling great about the season....if my knees and ankles hold out...lol

Edited September 19, 2012 by growalot

[Geno C]

i would be the first to agree, however i will admit i fall into the bracket of not even breaking my bow out yet this season. shot a few months ago thats it.... it happens... i have pre occupied with working on my house trying to get it ready to list FS and also woeking on my friends house that times is not on my side this year. I would worry more about your own self being ready for this season because no matter howmuch fellow hunters will "Piss you off" due to the lack of effort put fourth, it is something that will occur year after year and there is nothing you can do about it. So why make yourself mad?????

[WNYBuckHunter]

Happens every year in every season. Alot of slobs out there, weapon of choice doesnt matter.

[Geno C]

and besides if you are panicing about your sights being off or loose and this that and the other thing not working then you must not be storing your bow good enough or conscious enough about how you handle it. in 17 years i have never took my bow out after storage and had any issues what so ever with my sites or any of the above. bought my mathews brandnew last season, its less then 1 year old i doubt i have any issues with it and if i do i have another mathews bow for backup. Granted practice, practice, practice is what we should all be doing but even those guys wound deer sir.... my equipment is TOP and brand new and i have perfect faith in myself and equipment to make clean ethical shots. It guys who cant judge shooting angles on deer and have little seat time in the woods who wound alot of deer doesnt necessarily mean they didint practice since april...

[bkln]

I understand your need to be social and I'm fine with that. Personally I think you over-dramatizing the situation and I would suggest to worry about something you CAN control...:-) Any reasonable person would shoot before the season that's just common sense. Who cares what douchebags do...LOL

[Fantail]

Didn't buy a 3-D for nuttin`.

Been warming up all month, even with the back-up Bow.

[Elmo]

On Monday, I was up at Cougar Sports and overheard a conversation with a bowhunter and the store owner. Store owner measured him and told him he was a 26 inch draw length. He responded with "26 inch? Dang! For 15 years, I've been hunting with 29 inch draw!"

I thought to myself...dude...you're like 5'6" at most with short stubby arms. How the hell were you shooting at 29" draw? He must have not been very successful.

[WNYBuckHunter]

The guy probably never found out what the backwall felt like with that bow lol

[phade]

Or drawing like dave watson....he cracks me up sitting in a blind playing a guitar drawing to the back of his head trying to shoot some odd African game off a waterhole all at the same time while telling everyone how good the hunting is.

[Geno C]

On Monday, I was up at Cougar Sports and overheard a conversation with a bowhunter and the store owner. Store owner measured him and told him he was a 26 inch draw length. He responded with "26 inch? Dang! For 15 years, I've been hunting with 29 inch draw!"

I thought to myself...dude...you're like 5'6" at most with short stubby arms. How the hell were you shooting at 29" draw? He must have not been very successful.

LOL ive heard of guys like that also... im 5.7 and shoot a 27"

just makes you wonder how many guys are shooting the wrong setups

[WNYBuckHunter]

Or drawing like dave watson....he cracks me up sitting in a blind playing a guitar drawing to the back of his head trying to shoot some odd African game off a waterhole all at the same time while telling everyone how good the hunting is.

You noticed that too? I saw his show the other day and had to pause it when I saw him at full draw.

[Geno C]

i will be shooting today after work because jackpot! this guys has nothing planned

im not worried anyways. bought my bow before deer season last year, hit the woods with my older bow until my new one came in 2 weeks into the season. Received my new bow, dialed her in out to 35 yards in a matter of 20 minutes and took a deer a few weeks later at 20 yards double lung... passed up plenty of deer in between the tune and my harvest also.